Double child killer Colin Pitchfork's release from prison to be reconsidered at new hearing

Colin Pitchfork Parole Board decision to be reconsidered by fresh panel Credit: ITV News central

Double child-murderer and rapist Colin Pitchfork will face a fresh Parole Board hearing.

It comes following pressure from Leicestershire MP Alberto Costa for the board to reconsider its initial decision. 

The Parole Board hearings will now take place on Monday 2 and Tuesday 3 October 2023.

Pitchfork was given a 30 year minimum sentence in 1988 for raping and murdering Leicestershire schoolgirls, Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth, who were both 15.

He was released in 2021 but was back in jail two months later after breaching the licence conditions. 

Alberto Costa, MP for South Leicestershire, has welcomed new hearing dates to consider Colin Pitchfork's future after successfully challenging the Parole Board's June 2023 decision to release Pitchfork.

A fresh Parole Board hearing will be held to decide whether Colin Pitchfork remain behind bars or be released in to general public.

The Parole Board hearing in early October will be held with a completely new set of panellists than the panel that initially called for Pitchfork's release in June 2023. 

Mr Costa, MP for South Leicestershire, has campaigned tirelessly to ensure Colin Pitchfork remains in prison due to the appalling nature of his crimes in the 1980s.

Pitchfork was found guilty of raping and murdering two teenage girls and was the first person to be convicted using DNA evidence. 

Mr Costa said: "I am hopeful that this time round the Parole Board will see that it is absolutely necessary for the safety of my constituents that Colin Pitchfork remains behind bars. I have been working hard to see that Pitchfork remains in prison ever since I was first elected. 

 "I was shocked at the June 2023 decision by the Parole Board to release a man who raped and murdered two young girls. I am grateful to Alex Chalk, Justice Secretary, for listening to me and the people of South Leicestershire and applying to have this case reconsidered. 

 "Colin Pitchfork has caused untold trauma and his crimes live long in the memory of my constituents. My thoughts at this time are with the families of Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth. "

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